Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1027, 18 July 1930, Page 8

Citizens Say —

(To the Editor.)

THE POLL TAX Sir.— Will you kindly explain how thousands of men can be expected to pay 7s 6d on December 1 when they have nothing in the wide world? Say. 200 men in one shelter alone—.£7s. Preposterous! CURIOUS. NORFOLK ISLAND TRADE Sir,— I think the. Government should meet the owners of the steamer Hikurangi in their attempt to revive the Auck-land-Norfolk Island trade. Through the discontinuance of the previous service *which was maintained by the Hinemoa and the Maui Pomare a* valuable trade has been lost to Auckland merchants and has been diverted to Australia, which is in constant touch by ship with the island. The owners have intimated the impossibility of maintaining the service on the capital , derived from the trade until it has been fully re-establislicd. They have petitioned for a small interim subsidy to cover the deficiency in the meantime, and seeing that the failure of the Government motor-ship Maui Pomare is directly responsible for the loss of this profit-producing traffic, the least the Government can do is encourage the company concerned in its laudable endeavour. TRADER. MILITARY TRAINING Sir,— Your clear and concise statement in last evening’s Sun regarding the present position of the military training system met with my entire approval till I read the last paragraph, wherein you give your commendation to the proposal to maintain a cadet force among our secondary schoolboys. Your support of this does not agree with your denunciation of "the continual reference to war.” Is not the drilling of these boys by military officers, and the compulsory imposition of the whole military curriculum, including machinegun drill and rifle practice a gesture toward war? And would not the complete abolition of the whole system be a gesture toward peace? To advocate world peace while maintaining a staff in preparation for war, and training a section of our youth to expect war. is like trying to travel north and south at the same time. We are to nave a huge military staff, numbering 2,600 officers and non-commissioned officers, and to give them something to do. and to. pret ent the system appearing too Gilbertian, we are to permit our 14,000 secondary school boys to submit themselves for training. As a contemporary very properly points out. the parents of these boys may well ask why they should bear the whole burden of defence. From the pacifist point of view, well acquainted with the evil effects of such training on the impressionable mind of boys from 12 to 10 years of age. this retention of part of the | military system is most regrettable, and will be fought against by peace

societies throughout the country; and I foresee unremitting attempts being made to free the whole of our youth from military service. M. B. SOLJAK. TRAINING CAMPS Sir. — Mrs. A. M. Cassie is quoted in The Sun as saying that military camps have a detrimental effect on the youth of the country, especially from a moral point of view, etc. Has Mrs. Cassie ever visited the Third Auckland Regiment in camp? Evidently not. A finer bunch of fellows who always worked together as competitive teams for the various trophies would be hard to find anywhere. I have been to Bible class and Y.M.C.A. camps anti haven’t been looked after half as well or enjoyed half the comradeship. The senior officers say a few words when we arrive about being the Auckland City Regiment, and being a credit to the City, and to remember always to play the game as did those who “passed over” in the Great War. We just enjoy trying to live up to those ideals of service to the other fellow. Then apart from that little tone-up of the mind the exercise in fresh air and sunlight makes one feel mighty fit when one returns to business. It may‘interest Mrs. Cassie to know that so keen was the team spirit last camp that there were no orderly rooms (either company or battalion), as there were no delinquents. I, like many others, do not appreciate these aspersions cast upon our morals by obviously misinformed people like Mrs. Cassie and Mrs. Moore. PROUD TRAINEE. THE GOVERNMENT’S “DOLE” Sir. % The New Zealand Government has produced another piece of vapid legislation in its Unemployment Bill by providing for a levy of 30s a year on every male member of the community above 20 years, irrespective of income, as a subsidised contribution toward a sustenance fund for the unemployed. Truly, as the bank managers of this country have warned officialdom. New Zealand is following in the steps of Australia. Was it irony on the part of the Parliamentary correspondent of The Sun when he described the Unemployment Bill as “one of the biggest Government measures of the session?** The Bill defeats its own ends by imposing a penalty on men with insignificant incomes who are on the borderline of unemployment. These men. and there are thousands and thousands of workers in New Zealand who have to watch every penny of their wages, have to pay as much as the wealthy. What absurd nonsense! If the Hon. S. G. Smith expeets to win the appreciation of working people by this distorted Bill, he is undouotedly a supreme optimist. Working people will l>e the first to condemn such peculiar legislation. The United Party, apparently, is willing to do anything. the hope of being praised as a Govern-

ment eager to solve uncmploym will take cleverer rnen than Parliament to cure the growing ployment in this country. A* aa » I ease of Arapuni, outside ad'tst ; not dull-mirded politicians, ar® to solve this distressing problem^ I Hamilton.